The Very Best
by Blueberry8675
Summary: This is an AU in which Ash is smarter and more powerful. Not the most original idea, but I hope you'll give it a read. I promise I'll try to make it as interesting as I can, and include some twists and turns that other authors haven't thought of.


**A/N: Hello everyone! I know that I haven't updated in a ****_very_**** long time, but here I am with a new fic, which also happens to be my first Pokemon story! This fic will feature a smarter and much more powerful Ash, and even though the idea is rather unoriginal, I hope to take this story far. Please note that Ash ****_will_**** be OOC, and that any complaints about that will be ignored. I mean, come on, this story is about Ash being smarter, so do you really expect him to act the same as he does in canon? Wow, I'm really rambling on. To the story!**

* * *

Chapter 1: The Beginning of Something Great

Ash Ketchum of Pallet Town is an ordinary boy at first sight. Black hair, average height, completely normal for a nine, almost ten-year-old boy. But underneath all this is a great intelligence and understanding of Pokemon. He is widely regarded in his home town, along with his rival Gary Oak, to be a prodigy in the ways of Pokemon. Gary Oak's grandfather, a famous Pokemon Professor, took the two under his wing at a young age, Gary because he was family, and Ash as a favor to his friend Delia. They showed to be eager to learn anything he had to tell them, which was quite a lot, if he did say so himself. Both boys, along with two other ten-year-old children, will be getting their Starter Pokemon tomorrow, at the start of this year's Pokemon League season, which also happens to be Ash's tenth birthday. Ash, of course, is very excited to finally start his journey, and is trying to figure out which Starter Pokemon to choose.

"Hmm..." Ash muttered as he watched Professor Oak introduce the three Kanto Starter Pokemon on the television screen. "Now which one should I choose..." he considered the three different choices. Bulbasaur, the Seed Pokemon, was a Grass and Poison-type, and was considered the easiest of the three to raise. It evolved into Ivysaur, which then evolved into Venasaur. Next was Squirtle, the Tiny Turtle Pokemon. It was a Water-type Pokemon that evolved into Wartortle and then Blastoise. Blastoise were powerful Pokemon, but Ash didn't really think it was his style. Maybe he could try to catch a Squirtle on his journey, but for now it didn't seem like the choice for him. Finally, there was Charmander, the Lizard Pokemon, a Fire-type that evolved into Charmeleon and then Charizard. They were considered the most temperamental and hardest to raise, but also the most powerful of the three.

"Hmm..." Ash said once again. "I've got it! I'll choose Bulbasaur!" After thinking about it, Bulbasaur seemed like the best choice. They were well-rounded Pokemon, and were very powerful once they evolved into Venasaur. They also had tricky moves like Leech Seed, Sleep Powder, and Poison Powder, which would be useful if he were to get in a difficult situation. The door to Ash's room then opened.

"Ash, it's time for you to go to bed, it's eleven o'clock!" Ash's mother, Delia, said while showing him the time on his Voltorb clock.

"Okay Mom, it's just that I'm so excited about starting my journey tomorrow!" Ash replied.

"It's okay for you to be excited," his mom said with a soft smile, "but if you don't go to sleep soon, you might oversleep and miss the chance to get your Starter Pokemon." Ash was horrified at the thought, and rushed to his dresser to take out his pajamas. Delia chuckled at his actions."Don't worry, I'm sure you'll make it on time," she said as he finished changing and leaped into bed.

"'Night, Mom," he said as he pulled up his covers.

"Goodnight, Ash," she replied as she turned out the lights and closed the door.

Ash fell asleep quickly after that, dreaming of winning all sorts of battles with the Bulbasaur he planned on getting tomorrow.

* * *

_Brrrrrrriiiiiiiinnnnnngggg!_ came the alarm that woke Ash up for the day. He stretched and yawned as he hit the snooze button and got out of bed.

"Today is the day!" he said to himself excitedly. "Today is the day that I begin my journey to become the world's greatest Pokemon Master!"

He opened up his dresser and grabbed a change of clothes, then walked down the hall to the bathroom to take a shower. After he was finished, he walked down the stairs to see a huge breakfast waiting for him.

"Happy Birthday Ash!" his mom said.

"Wow, mom!" he exclaimed. "This looks great! Thanks a lot!"

"Well, you might have looked it over in favor of your Pokemon journey, but I would never forget your Birthday!" she said cheerfully. All of a sudden, a loud growl rang through the room, one that would have terrified any who weren't familiar with it.

"Hehe," Ash chuckled, rubbing the back of his neck sheepishly. "Guess I'm a bit hungry."

"Well, you didn't think I made all this food just to look at, did you?" Delia laughed. "Dig in!" Ash obeyed with gusto, sitting down and beginning to eat as much as a starving Snorlax- and with the same table manners, too.

"Just like his father," Delia reminisced fondly as eggs, bacon, sausage, biscuits, and all other forms of breakfast food disappeared before her eyes.

"Mmm," Ash grunted with a satisfied look on his face. "That was delicious, Mom."

"Well, you don't want to be late, do you?" his mom asked. "Hurry up, or you might miss your chance!" Once again, Ash's face went white at the thought, and he dashed out the door, grabbing the backpack he had filled with supplies on the way.

"Good luck!" Delia shouted out the door. Ash waved back to her without turning around. She laughed and leaned against the door frame.

"You'll do great things, Ash," she said to no one in particular. "I just know it."

* * *

As Ash neared the Oak Laboratory, he saw a rather large crowd surrounding someone he was quite familiar with.

"Looks like you've already got your own fan club, Gary," he smirked as he walked up to the Professor's grandson, gesturing to all of the cheering people and the cheerleaders chanting about how great Gary was.

"Yeah," he smirked back, "maybe if you ever become as awesome as me someday, you'll get fans of your own."

"Well I, unlike you, don't need a group of cheerleaders to stroke my ego," Ash retorted.

"Yeah, your head is already big enough," Gary bit back.

"What's this?" Ash exclaimed, holding a hand over his heart. "_The _Gary Oak, king of ego, accusing _me_ of being full of myself?"

"Yeah, and that's not all you're full of, either," Gary continued their verbal spar. The two glare at each other for several seconds, the crowd staring in anticipation, before both boys burst out laughing.

"Ah, I never get tired of that," Ash said, wiping a tear out of his eye as the crowd looked on in confusion.

"Yeah," Gary said, holding his stomach from laughing so hard, "you get more and more original every time."

"As do you, good sir," Ash said, faking a bow. Gary chuckled one last time. "So which Pokemon did you choose?"

"Oh, I got a Squirtle," Gary said, showing Ash the Pokeball. "And together, we'll become the greatest in the world!"

"But wait," Ash said, feigning confusion, "how are you going to become the greatest in the world if I do before you?"

"We'll see about that," Gary said. "Now go on, go get your Pokemon. Gramps is waiting for you."

"Right!" Ash said, jogging up to the lab. When he got ther, he knocked on the door, saying "Professor Oak! I'm here for my Pokemon!"

The door opened. "Ah, hello Ash," the wise old Professor said. "So I see you made it!"

"Yes, Professor, and I'm ready to get my Pokemon!"

"Then follow me." Oak started walking back into the lab, Ash following close behind.

"Now," the Professor began as they reached the room with the Pokemon, "unfortunately, Charmander, Bulbasaur, and Squirtle by the other trainers." Ash looked like he was about to cry, so the Professor continued. "But there is one more Pokemon that you could have. I should warn you, it's quite temperamental and hard to deal with, but I'm sure you'll be able to handle it."

"I'll take it Professor!" Ash said, relieved at still being able to go on his journey.

"Alright," the old man said as he pushed a button on the side of the machine that held the three Pokeballs. A hole opened up in the top, and out popped a Pokeball with a lightning bolt symbol on it. Excited, Ash grabbed the Pokeball and released what was inside. In a brilliant flash of yellow light, a small yellow mouse with a lightning bolt shaped tail appeared.

"Oh, it's a Pikachu!" Ash exclaimed.

"Yes, I found him chewing on some power cables several nights ago," Professor Oak said. "He doesn't enjoy staying in a Pokeball, but I was forced to keep him there because he tried to attack some of the other Pokemon on the Corral."

"Well that's okay!" Ash said. "He can just hang out here with me!" Ash crouched down to the mouse's level. "Hi, Pikachu, I'm going to be your new trainer!"

"Chu," the mouse said, turning away from him.

"So you don't like me, huh?" Ash asked, looking a bit disappointed. "Well that's okay. I'll just have to become friends with you." Ash grabbed some rubber gloves from his bag and put them on, then turned to the Professor. "Thanks for Pikachu, Professor Oak. I'll be sure to take good care of him."

"Good," the old Professor said. "Well, you'd better be going, Ash. Good luck!"

"Thanks Professor," Ash said, picking up Pikachu, who tried to shock him, and walking toward the exit. "I guess it's good I thought to put on these gloves. That might have been painful."

_Well Ash, _the Professor thought to himself, _it looks like you're already becoming that boy with the Pikachu from all those years ago._

* * *

"Good luck, Ash!" Delia said, cheering along with all of the neighbors she had brought with her.

"Thanks, Mom!" Ash said. "Well, I guess it's time to start my journey."

"Yes it is, Ash," she replied with tears in her eyes. "I know you'll do great things."

"Oh, before I leave, there's someone I want you to meet," Ash said.

"Who is it?" his mom asked.

"This is Pikachu. He's the Pokemon I got from Professor Oak. Together, we're going to be the very best!" Ash replied, gesturing at Pikachu, who looked disinterested.

"Oh, he's adorable! But don't most Pokemon stay inside their Pokeballs?" she asked.

"Yeah, but the Professor said that Pikachu doesn't like Pokeballs, and I could never force a friend to do something they don't want to do," Ash said. Pikachu looked startled at this. He had tried to attack the boy, yet he still considered him a friend? Maybe Pikachu was wrong about him... Nah. The kid was probably just too stupid to realize that Pikachu had tried to attack him.

"Come on, Pikachu," Ash said, picking Pikachu back up. "Our adventure begins here!"

"Pika," the rodent grumbled as Ash started walking down the road.

"Goodbye and good luck, Ash!" Delia called after him. Her sentiments were repeated by the crowd around her. "And don't forget to change your underwear!"

"Bye everyone!" the young man waved back. "I'm finally starting my journey."

* * *

"Come on, Pikachu," Ash said as he kneeled down on the road to talk to the small Pokemon. "Is there any reason you dislike me so much?"

"Pika, Pikachu!" the mouse said, waving his arms about.

"Okay, I don't understand what you're saying, so how about this. I'll ask you a question, and if it's yes, nod your head. If it's no, just shake your head from side to side. Is that okay?"

"Chu," the Pokemon replied, nodding his head.

"Okay. Do you hate all humans?" Pikachu shook his head. "Is it just me that you hate?" Once more, Pikachu shook his head. "Did you want to remain a wild Pokemon?" Surprisingly, Pikachu shook his head "no" once more. It seemed Ash was narrowing down the problem. "Did you want to be caught by a more experienced trainer?"

"Pika!" the rodent replied, nodding his head vigorously.

"Okay, so that's what the problem is!" Ash said, glad to have figured it out. "You wanted to be caught by a strong trainer, but instead you were caught by a Pokemon Professor and given to a beginning trainer."

"Pikaka," Pikachu said, nodding once more.

"Okay then, how about this," Ash said, thinking he had found a solution. "I find another trainer on this road, and have you battle them. You have to follow my directions, and if we win and I impress you enough, then you start cooperating."

Pikachu thought about it a moment before nodding. "Kachu."

"Okay then, let's go find a trainer to battle!"

* * *

**One Hour Later...**

Ash was starting to give up hope on finding another trainer when he saw someone riding a bike a ways ahead of him. He picked up his pace, with Pikachu following close behind. Eventually he got close enough to call something out to the other traveler.

"Hey!" he yelled, causing the person on the bike to turn around. "Can you stay there for a second?" The other person stayed where they were, and Ash got close enough to see that it was a redheaded girl wearing a yellow shirt, red suspenders, and blue shorts. Ash caught up to her and managed to say through his panting, "Thanks... for stopping... I wanted... to challenge you to a battle."

"Why would you run after me like that just for a battle?" she asked, looking confused.

"See, my Pikachu and I have been having some problems. He wanted to be caught by a strong trainer, but instead he was caught by Professor Oak and given to me as my Starter Pokemon. I made a deal with him that if we battled another trainer and I impressed him enough, he would start cooperating, but you're the first person I've seen since I left Pallet Town," Ash said, finally having caught his breath.

"Oh, that makes sense," the girl said. "I guess I'll battle you. My name's Misty by the way."

"Thanks a lot," Ash said. "Wait... Misty, aren't you one of the Cerulean City Gym Leaders?"

"Hehe," Misty laughed, sounding embarrassed. "I guess you could say that. I started traveling not too long ago so I could get stronger."

"This is great!" Ash exclaimed. "Pikachu, Misty here is a Gym Leader. They're really tough, and trainers challenge them at their Gyms to test their skills! I don't think I could have run into a better trainer to battle."

"Well, let's go over there and start the battle," Misty said, pointing at a clearing on the side of the road.

"Great!" Ash said, him and Pikachu running to where she pointed, with Misty following behind.

"You sure are excitable, aren't you?" Misty asked.

"Well, were you excited for your first Pokemon battle?" Ash said, jumping up and down.

"Fair point," she said. "Now, let's get this started. Misty calls Staryu!"

Misty threw the Pokeball into the air, where it opened and let out a mass of energy that formed into a tan-colored star with a bright red gem at its core.

"Hya!" the Staryu called

"A Staryu, huh? That's gonna be a challenge! Let's go, Pikachu!" Pikachu jumped out onto the field.

"Alright Staryu, let's start out with BubbleBeam!" Misty shouted. Staryu's gem glowed blue, and it shot out a flurry of glowing bubbles at Pikachu.

"Dodge, then use Thunder Shock!" Ash called back. Pikachu jumped away from the bubbles and launched a shock of electricity at Staryu.

"Counter with Ice Beam!" A sphere of light blue energy appeared on top of Staryu's top point, which shot out three beams of ice energy that tore through the weaker Thunder Shock and continued on toward Pikachu.

_That Staryu has been trained well. Pikachu won't be able to dodge that Ice Beam unless... _"Pikachu, dodge with Agility and then use Quick Attack!" Pikachu disappeared in aflash of speed, and then reappeared, streaking toward Staryu and hitting it before its trainer had any time to react. "Yeah!" Ash pumped his fist in the air, excited to have gotten the first hit.

"Don't go celebrating yet," Misty called to Ash. "Staryu, Swift!" Staryu spun around rapidly, sending dozens of star-shaped blasts of energy at Pikachu.

_That attack can't be dodged, so I'll have to find some other way to deal with it. _"Pikachu, use a widespread Thunder Shock on the Swift!" Pikachu did as he was told, and the Thunder Shock managed to destroy about half of the stars before the rest of the attack hit Pikachu.

"Pika!" the little mouse cried out in pain.

"Oh no, Pikachu!" Ash shouted. _Wait, pull yourself together Ash, it's just one hit._

"Now Staryu, use Water Gun!" Pikachu's opponent sent a stream of water at the rodent from its top point.

"Pikachu, use Thunder Shock on that Water Gun!" Ash's plan worked perfectly, and the electricity was conducted through the water, straight to Staryu. Unfortunately, Ash didn't count on the Water Gun continuing even _after_ the Thunder Shock hit it, and Pikachu was hit dead-on.

"Chu!"

"That was a pretty good strategy," Misty said. "You managed to land a super-effective hit on Staryu."

"Thanks!" Ash replied, proud that a Gym Leader was praising his skills.

"But I'm not giving up yet! Staryu, use Ice Beam!" Once again, the icy beams of energy sped towards Pikachu.

"Agility!" Pikachu disappeared once more, then reappeared several feet away from the Ice Beam. "Keep using Agility to confuse it!" Staryu certainly was confused, as its opponent kept appearing and disappearing at random places on the field. "Now, use Quick Attack!" It was another direct hit. Ash was starting to get confident. "Thunder Shock, again!"

"Protect!" Misty yelled. A green shield of energy appeared around Staryu, deflecting the Electric-type attack.

"Let's finish this in one more hit! Give it your strongest Thunder Shock!" A bolt of electricity larger than any that Pikachu had produced yet rushed at Staryu.

"Try to dodge it!" Somehow, Staryu managed to jump out of the way at the last second. Unfortunately, the electricity continued on, and hit something on the road that Ash recognized as...

"My bike!" Misty screeched. "Now this is personal!" Misty glared at Ash.

"Er, sorry about that," Ash apologized, rubbing the back of his neck sheepishly.

"Staryu, use BubbleBeam!" The bubbles rushed at Pikachu.

"Dodge!" Pikachu leapt out of the way and landed in a battle stance. "Now, Agility!" Pikachu disappeared and reappeared just like it had earlier. "Get close!" Pikachu reappeared one more time, right in front of Staryu. "Thunder Shock!" The electricity hit Staryu point-blank.

"Staryu!" Misty cried as her Pokemon was blown back by the force of the attack. The Star Shape Pokemon barely managed to get up from that hit.

"Alright! One more attack should do it! Use Quick Attack!" Pikachu ran at Staryu as fast as he can, a streak of white behind him.

Misty saw that Staryu wouldn't be able to dodge that. "Double-Edge!" Staryu glowed gold, and shot at Pikachu while spinning rapidly.

Ash was worried. He knew that Double-Edge was a very powerful move, and it would be better for Pikachu to avoid it, but it was too late for Pikachu to abort Quick Attack.

The two Pokemon collided, and Staryu knocked Pikachu back, dealing a large amount of damage. Staryu landed, but when it did, it was surrounded by gold sparks, and appeared to be in pain.

_That's right! Double-Edge's recoil damage! I might still be able to win this._

Suddenly both Pokemon fell down. Pikachu had swirls in his eyes, and Staryu's gem was blinking and making a _ding_ sound.

"Well then," Misty said. "It looks like it's a tie. I must say I'm surprised. I didn't expect much when I heard that you just started your journey, but you managed to present me with a real challenge!"

"Yeah," Ash said,a bit disappointed, but still glad he had such a great battle. "Oh, that's right!" Ash pulled off his backpack and rummaged around in it. "Here they are!" Ash pulled out two spray bottles. "I brought some Potions with me. We can use them to heal our Pokemon."

"Thanks," Misty said as Ash handed her one of the bottles. After they finished healing Pikachu and Staryu, Misty returned her Pokemon.

"I guess it's time for me to off," the Cerulean Gym Leader said. She turned around to walk back to her bike, but then remembered something. "That's right," she said, getting angry. "_You_ destroyed my bike!" Misty glared at Ash. "Now how am I supposed to get to Viridian City?!"

"Uh, you could come with us," Ash answered meekly, cowering under the girl's rage.

"Fine." Misty crossed her arms. "But you _will_ get me a new bike."

"O-of course!" Ash agreed, holding up his hands as if to protect himself. Then he remembered the whole reason he had battled Misty, and was presented with the perfect excuse to escape Misty's wrath. "now, if you'll excuse me, I have to go speak with Pikachu in private!" he said, grabbing the electric mouse and dashing to the edge of the forest near the road.

"Fine, but I'll be watching you to make sure you don't try to get out of paying me back for my bike!" Misty replied, shaking a fist at him.

"W-wouldn't dream of it!" Ash stuttered back.

* * *

"So, Pikachu," Ash said, crouching down to Pikachu's level, "are you impressed enough?"

The Pokemon thought for a moment. "Pika," Pikachu answered, nodding his head.

"Great!" Ash exclaimed, picking Pikachu up and hugging him tightly. "Now we can be best buddies!"

"CHUUUUU!" Pikachu yelled, shocking Ash.

Ash fell down, now black and crispy. "Okay, I get it, don't do that," Ash groaned as he sat up. "But we're still gonna be best friends, right?"

Pikachu sighed, giving up. "Kachu," he said, nodding again.

"Alright!" Ash jumped in the air. "Now we should head back over to Misty and continue to Viridian City. Maybe we can catch some Pokemon along the way! Let's go." Ash knelt down and offered his arm to Pikachu, who jumped onto it and climbed up to Ash's shoulder.

* * *

"Hmm..." Ash muttered, looking at the Pidgey standing around the field. He could just catch one of them, but a Pidgey seemed too... easy. They were generally weak Pokemon, at least until they evolved, and even though Ash knew that they could be strong with training, they just seemed... too docile. He wanted a _challenge_.

"Will you hurry up?" Misty asked, getting impatient.

"Hey, it was your decision to come with me. Besides, I'm trying to find a Pokemon to catch, and not just any Pokemon will do."

"Fine," Misty said, "but can you at least try to find one a _little_ faster?"

"Okay," Ash replied. Then, a flash of red caught his eye. He looked toward it, and saw it was the wing of a Spearow. "There! I'll catch that Spearow."

"So I guess the rumors about a flock of Spearow migrating here are true," Misty said. "They don't usually live in this area."

Ash started walking toward the Spearow. When he was about fifteen feet away from it, he called out, "Pikachu, use Thunder Shock!" The Spearow was alerted by my voice and barely managed to dodge.

"Speeeaarrooow!" the Pokemon screeched, flying swiftly toward Pikachu, surrounded by streaks of white energy.

"That's Aerial Ace," Ash said to himself. "Pikachu, dodge and use Thunder Shock again!" Pikachu bounded out of the way, and this time Spearow wasn't able to pull out of Aerial Ace in time to dodge again.

"Rrrrrroooooowww!" the Spearow cried in pain.

"Keep that Thunder Shock up, Pikachu!" The little mouse kept a steady current of electricity flowing into the Spearow, and Ash could see it was weakening. "That's enough, Pikachu." Pikachu let go of the electricity, and Spearow plummeted to the ground, barely landing on its feet. Ash determined that it was weak enough to capture. "Go, Pokeball!" Ash threw the ball, which hit Spearow and sucked it in. The capsule shook once... twice... three times... _ding! _The Pokeball made the noise that signaled a successful capture. Ash walked forward, slightly numb, and picked up the Pokeball. He stared at it for several seconds. Then...

"YES!" Ash yelled, raising the Pokeball into the air. "I caught a Spearow!"

"Pi Pikachu!" Pikachu said, jumping up onto Ash's shoulder and making a peace sign.

"Good job, Ash," Misty said from the edge of the field. "Now can we continue on to Viridian City?"

"Hold on just a second!" Ash called back. "There's something I need to do first. Go, Spearow!" Ash tossed the Pokeball containing his new Pokemon into the air, where it opened and released a small mass of energy that formed into Spearow. It chirped and looked around. "Hi Spearow," Ash said gently. "I'm Ash, your new trainer. I'm going to help you become as strong as you can possibly be."

"Rroww!" the small bird screeched, flying down to peck at Ash.

"Whoa!" Ash exclaimed, jumping out of the way. "Calm down, Spearow! I'm not your enemy!"

"Spearow!" Spearow came back around, looking like it wanted to peck my eyes out.

"Pi, Pikachu," Pikachu said to the bird. Spearow seemed to study me for a moment, before nodding and fluttering down to the ground in front of me.

"Now, I'm going to scan you with this device to find out what moves you know," Ash said as he took the Pokedex out of his pocket and pointed it at Spearow.

**Spearow, the Tiny Bird Pokemon. It is inept at flying high. However, it can fly around very fast to protect its territory. This Spearow is male and has the Ability Keen Eye, which prevents its accuracy from being lowered. It knows the moves Peck, Growl, Leer, Fury Attack, Pursuit, Quick Attack, and Aerial Ace.**

"Wow, you're pretty powerful," Ash said. "You must be the leader of your flock."

"Row," the bird said, holding its head up proudly.

"Well, I guess it's about time for us to continue on our way to Viridian City. Spearow, Return!" Ash held out the Pokeball, and a red beam shot out, converting Spearow to energy and returning him to the ball. Ash walked back over to Misty.

"Congratulations on your first catch, Ash," she commended him.

"Thanks," Ash replied. "Now let's hurry up and get to Viridian City! It can't be far now!"

* * *

**And done! wow, that was long. I'm rather impressed with myself. Oh, and just to clear some things up- the world this is in will be slightly different from the anime. It may not be apparent now, but in the future it will be obvious that there are several things that work differently in this world. The only one shown in this chapter is the Pokedex. In the anime, it only gave the species of the Pokemon and a brief description. As you've already seen, in this world it gives a lot more. Well, I'm done for now. I'll try to get the next chapter up soon!**


End file.
